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UN aid agencies paint grim picture

by UN report
"We have all seen some very disturbing pictures of child victims of this conflict - children with burn injuries, a young boy lying in a hospital bed, both his arms blown off," WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib told the daily briefing in Amman, Jordan, on UN humanitarian activities. "And away from the cameras, these scenes are being repeated every day."
UN aid agencies paint grim picture
Report, United Nations

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The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that hospitals in Baghdad and elsewhere were overwhelmed by the numbers of injured, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said a humanitarian clock was ticking with each passing day.

"We have all seen some very disturbing pictures of child victims of this conflict - children with burn injuries, a young boy lying in a hospital bed, both his arms blown off," WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib told the daily briefing in Amman, Jordan, on UN humanitarian activities. "And away from the cameras, these scenes are being repeated every day."

Referring to the hundreds of civilians, especially children, injured every day, she said: "Those who are injured and survive may end up in hospital needing treatment for third degree burns, or having limbs amputated and never again being able to run properly or play." Many hospitals were reported to be running short of supplies of medicines, anaesthetics and basic equipment, she added.

WHO was also extremely concerned about the psychological impact of conflict, fear, and the loss of family members or neighbours on Iraqi children, Ms. Chaib said. The physical and psychological damage of conflict could take years to heal, and are likely to leave many permanent scars.

"One can only wonder what an eight-year-old child in Baghdad might be imagining about the daily nightmare he or she is witnessing," UNICEF spokesperson Wivina Belmonte said. "The pictures we see on our televisions show us the most immediate, most stark images of children - hurt and injured in the conflict. What is more difficult to show, but which has its own devastating effect is the lack of water, the poor and deteriorating health conditions, and the trauma each child is living."

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNHCOI), quoting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reported that all Baghdad hospitals were under extreme pressure, with the influx of injured at Al-Yarmouk hospital reaching 100 people per hour yesterday. The water situation generally remained critical in the city as pressure in the network drops, spokesman David Wimhurst said.
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